The Buddha Appears, and a Mother's Question
The Buddha vanishes from Vulture Peak so that Ajātaśatru's spies will never know he came at all — and appears, in full radiance, in the one place his presence could not possibly be more dangerous to arrange: inside a locked prison cell. Vaidehī's own response is not gratitude but grief, and a question so direct it becomes the entire sūtra's reason for existing.
Vanishing From One Place, Appearing in Another
三、從爾時世尊下，至天華持用供養已來，正明世尊自來赴請。此明世尊雖在耆闍，已知夫人心念之意。言勅大目連等從空而來者，此明應夫人請也。言佛從耆山沒者，此明夫人宮內禁約極難。佛若現身來赴，恐畏闍世知聞更生留難。以是因緣，故須此沒彼出也。
言時韋提禮已舉頭者，此明夫人致敬之時也。言見佛世尊者，此明世尊宮中已出，致使夫人舉頭即見。言釋迦牟尼佛者，簡異餘佛。
但諸佛名通，身相不異，今故標定釋迦使無疑也。言身紫金色者，顯定其相也。言坐百寶華者，簡異餘座也。言目連侍左等者，此明更無餘眾唯有二僧。言釋梵護世者，此明天王眾等，見佛世尊隱顯王宮，必說希奇之法。我等天人因韋提故，得聽未聞之益。各乘本念，普住臨空，天耳遙飡雨華供養。又言釋者，即是天帝也。言梵者，即是色界梵王等也。言護世者，即是四天王也。言諸天者，即是色欲界等天眾。既見天王來向佛邊，彼諸天眾亦從王來聞法供養。
Third, from "at that time, the World-Honored One" down through "scattering heavenly flowers, offering them in worship," this makes plain that the World-Honored One came himself, in person, to answer her request. This makes plain that the World-Honored One, though remaining at Vulture Peak, already knew the queen's own thought and intent. As for "he commanded Mahāmaudgalyāyana and the others to come through the air": this makes plain his response to the queen's own request. As for "the Buddha vanished from Vulture Peak": this makes plain that the queen's own confinement within the palace was exceedingly strict. Had the Buddha appeared in his own body to answer her request directly, it was feared that, were Ajātaśatru to learn of it, further obstruction might arise. For this very reason, it was necessary that he vanish from one place and appear in the other.
As for "at that time, Vaidehī, having paid homage, raised her head": this makes plain the moment of the queen's own act of reverence. As for "she beheld the Buddha, the World-Honored One": this makes plain that the World-Honored One had already appeared within the palace, so that the moment the queen raised her head, she beheld him at once. As for "Śākyamuni Buddha": this distinguishes him from all other buddhas.
For though all buddhas share this name in common, and their bodily forms do not differ from one another, here the text expressly specifies Śākyamuni, so as to leave no room for doubt. As for "his body the color of purple gold": this makes his own bodily form definite and clear. As for "seated upon a lotus of a hundred jewels": this distinguishes his seat from all others. As for "Maudgalyāyana attending on his left" and so forth: this makes plain that there was no further assembly present, but only these two monks. As for "Śakra, Brahmā, and the guardians of the world": this makes plain that the assembly of heavenly kings, seeing the World-Honored One conceal and then reveal himself within the royal palace, knew he must be about to speak some rare and wondrous Dharma. "We heavenly beings," they thought, "on account of Vaidehī, shall gain the benefit of hearing what we have never heard before." Each, riding upon this very thought, took his place throughout the sky, and, with heavenly ears, listened from that distance while scattering heavenly flowers in offering. Further, as for "Śakra": this is the lord of the heavens. As for "Brahmā": this is the Brahmā king of the form realm and the like. As for "the guardians of the world": these are the Four Heavenly Kings. As for "the various heavenly beings": these are the assemblies of heaven throughout the realms of form and desire. Seeing the heavenly kings come before the Buddha, these other heavenly assemblies likewise followed their kings, coming to hear the Dharma and make offering.
Shandao's own explanation for why the Buddha vanishes from one location and appears in another, rather than simply traveling there, is strikingly practical rather than doctrinal: not a display of supernatural power for its own sake, but tradecraft, undertaken "for fear that, were Ajātaśatru to learn of it, further obstruction might arise." The entire heavenly host that gathers, unbidden, to listen from the sky is framed the same way — not spectators drawn by the Buddha's own glory, but beings who recognize, correctly, that a scene this unusual (a buddha concealing and revealing himself inside a royal prison) must mean some teaching is about to be given that they may never have the chance to hear again. The stakes of the coming exchange are established before a single word of it is spoken.
A Mother's Grief, and a Question About Her Own Karma
四、從時韋提希見世尊下，至與提婆共為眷屬已來，正明夫人舉頭見佛，口言傷歎，怨結情深也。言自絕瓔珞者，此明夫人身莊瓔珞，猶愛未除。忽見如來，羞慚自絕。
問曰：「云何自絕也？」
答曰：「夫人乃是貴中之貴，尊中之尊，身四威儀，多人供給，所著衣服，皆使傍人。今既見佛，恥愧情深，不依鉤帶，頓自掣却，故云自絕也。」
言舉身投地者，此明夫人內心感結，怨苦難堪。是以從坐踊身而立，從立踊身投地。此乃歎恨處深，更不事禮拜威儀也。言號泣向佛者，此明夫人婉轉佛前悶絕號哭。言白佛已下，此明夫人婉轉涕哭量久少惺，始正身威儀，合掌白佛：我自一生已來未曾造其大罪，未審宿業因緣有何殃咎而與此兒共為母子？此明夫人既自障深不識宿因，今被兒害謂是橫來。願佛慈悲，示我徑路。言世尊復有何等因緣已下，此明夫人向佛陳訴，我是凡夫罪惑不盡有斯惡報，是事甘心。世尊曠劫行道，正習俱亡，眾智朗然，果圓號佛。未審有何因緣乃與提婆共為眷屬？此意有二：一明夫人致怨於子，忽於父母狂起逆心。二明又恨提婆教我闍世造斯惡計。若不因提婆者，我兒終無此意也。為此因緣故致斯問。又夫人問佛云與提婆眷屬者，即有其二：一者在家眷屬。二者出家眷屬。言在家者，佛之伯叔有其四人。佛者，即是白淨王兒。金毘者，白飯王兒。提婆者，斛飯王兒。釋魔男者，是甘露飯王兒。此名在家外眷屬也。言出家眷屬者，與佛作弟子故名內眷屬也。
上來雖有四句不同，廣明厭苦緣竟。
Fourth, from "at that time, Vaidehī, seeing the World-Honored One" down through "came to share a family bond with Devadatta," this makes plain that the queen, raising her head and beholding the Buddha, spoke aloud in grief and lamentation, her resentment knotted deep within her heart. As for "she tore off her own necklace of pearls": this makes plain that the queen's own body, still adorned with jeweled ornaments, had not yet let go of this attachment — but, suddenly beholding the Tathāgata, she felt such shame that she tore it from herself at once.
Question: "Why did she tear it off herself?"
Answer: "The queen was noble among the noble, honored among the honored; in her every bearing and movement she was attended by many servants, and even the clothes she wore were arranged by the hands of others. Now, having beheld the Buddha, her own shame ran so deep that, without waiting for her attendants to unfasten the clasp, she tore it off herself at once — hence it is said she 'tore it off herself.'"
As for "she flung her whole body to the ground": this makes plain that the queen's own inner heart, knotted with feeling, could no longer bear her own grief and suffering. And so, springing up from her seat, she rose to standing; and springing up from standing, she flung herself down to the ground. This shows how deep her own grief and resentment had become — she no longer attended even to the proper form of reverent prostration. As for "she wailed aloud, weeping, toward the Buddha": this makes plain that the queen, overcome before the Buddha, wailed and wept until she fell into a swoon. As for what follows, "she addressed the Buddha": this makes plain that the queen, after weeping and wailing a long while, gradually came a little to herself, and only then composed her own bearing, and, joining her palms, addressed the Buddha: "Throughout my own life, I have never committed any grave offense — I do not know what past karmic cause could bring such calamity as to make me mother to a son like this." This makes plain that the queen, her own obstructions running deep, did not recognize her own past causes, and, now harmed by her own son, took it to be some unprovoked disaster. She begged the Buddha's own compassion to show her a direct path.
As for what follows, "World-Honored One, what further karmic cause": this makes plain that the queen, laying her case before the Buddha, said: I am but an ordinary being, my own offenses and delusions not yet exhausted, and so this evil retribution — this much I accept willingly. But the World-Honored One, having practiced the path across boundless kalpas, has utterly extinguished both the defilements themselves and their residual habits, his wisdom shining brilliantly clear, his own fruit perfected and thus named Buddha. I do not know what karmic cause could bring it about that he too should share a family bond with Devadatta. This carries two meanings. First, this makes plain that the queen, directing her resentment at her own son, was struck by how suddenly, between parent and child, so mad and rebellious a heart could arise. Second, this makes plain that she also resented Devadatta, for teaching Ajātaśatru to devise this evil scheme — had it not been for Devadatta, my own son would surely never have conceived such an intent. For this very reason, she raised this question. Further, as for the queen's own question to the Buddha regarding his family bond with Devadatta, this resolves into two points. First, kinship as a householder. Second, kinship as a renunciant. As for the householder kinship: the Buddha had four paternal uncles. The Buddha himself was the son of King Śuddhodana. Jinpi was the son of King Śuklodana. Devadatta was the son of King Droṇodana. Shimonan was the son of King Amṛtodana. This is called the outer, householder kinship. As for the renunciant kinship: Devadatta became the Buddha's own disciple, and so this is called the inner kinship.
Though the above has unfolded across four distinct points, this concludes the full explanation of the condition of weariness with suffering.
Shandao's own gloss draws out something easy to miss on a first reading: Vaidehī does not actually ask the Buddha to explain Ajātaśatru's crime. She asks about her own. "I have never committed any grave offense" is not a plea of innocence so much as a genuine bewilderment — a request to understand the causal chain that could produce this outcome, offered by someone who has already accepted, without argument, that suffering of this kind requires a cause. Her second question, about Devadatta, does the same work from the opposite angle: the Buddha's own kinship to Devadatta, spelled out here through the full genealogy of the four royal brothers, mirrors her own kinship to Ajātaśatru — even a buddha shares blood with someone capable of monstrous harm, just as she does. This double question, personal and cosmic in the same breath, is what closes "the condition of weariness with suffering" as a section: not the political crisis itself, now fully resolved, but the interior crisis of a woman trying to understand what she is, spiritually, in relation to what has happened to her. It is precisely this question that the sūtra's entire remaining teaching exists to answer.
Part 18 Complete
This closes Part 18, and with it "the condition of weariness with suffering" in full — the fourth of Shandao's seven narrative sections, and the last to unfold within the political crisis of the royal family itself. Part 19 turns to the fifth section, "the condition of joyful aspiration for purity" (欣淨緣): Vaidehī's own request to be shown a place free of grief, and the Buddha's response — a radiant vision, opened before her, of every pure land in the ten directions at once.
Continue to Part 19 — Every Pure Land at Once →